Soren: Right Here Where I Belong
by autumnrose2010
Summary: In about 2368,'The Outcast', Soren, resisted the psychotectic treatment forced upon her by her fellow J'naii's and escaped with the help of Will Riker. Now she has a new life with him aboard the Enterprise.
1. Escape From J'naii

_I want to reach out and pull you to me, who said I should let a wild one go free...

* * *

_

Will Riker had just made his declaration of love, and he waited with eager anticipation for Soren's response.

"I love you too, Will," Soren replied. "And yes, I will come with you."

Leaving Noor and Krite standing in stunned silence, Soren, with Will by her side and flanked by Worf and several armed guards, quietly walked to the waiting Starship Enterprise and boarded her.

Once they were safely on board Will embraced her tightly. "Oh, Soren," he said. "I can't believe we are finally together." He felt like he never wanted to let her go.

Soren had just walked away from the only life she had ever known to be with the man she loved. Noor and Krite had attempted to force her to undergo psychotectric treatment, which would have removed her feminine identity and, therefore, her romantic love for Will Riker. Soren had never before felt the feelings she had for Will, and she couldn't bear the thought of being forced to go back to the life she had led before.

Now, in the comforting shelter of Will's arms, Soren was flooded with relief. She felt that she had just barely escaped an awful fate. As for Will, he was simply overjoyed that Soren had chosen to come with him, leaving behind the only life she had ever known on the planet J'naii. Will had been in love before, but he had never known a woman like Soren. Her childlike innocence and curiosity charmed him, and he admired her high level of intelligence as well as her courage and adventurous spirit.

* * *

While Deanna Troi was happy for Will, she still felt twinges of regret that their long-ago relationship had not worked out. Wistfully, she remembered those romantic times on her native Betazed when she had been his 'Imzadi'. She had been young and very career focused at the time, and he had been as well. Now that they were both older, relationships had become more of a priority to both of them. Deanna sometimes wondered whether things would have gone differently if the two of them had met five or ten years later than they had. Although they both had moved on with their lives and still shared a close friendship, thoughts of what might have been still sometimes intruded on her present serenity.

* * *

Soren was in her room putting away her belongings when she heard a knock on the door. It was Deanna Troi.

"Soren, I must speak to you," Deanna said. "Although I realize that you don't know me very well, I hope that you will listen to what I have to say. I know that your love for Will must be great for you to be willing to leave the only life you have ever known for his sake. I know that he loves you too, Soren, very deeply. Will and I have known each other for many years so I know him very well. He is a very serious and intense man, and when he loves it is with his whole heart. Please handle that heart with care, Soren. I couldn't bear to see it broken again."

After she had gone Soren was left to ponder her words. From what Deanna had told her, it was obvious that Will had had his heart broken before. What did it mean to have a broken heart? Soren understood that it was just a figure of speech, but she could infer from the expression itself that it must be an incredibly painful experience. An experience Soren would never in a million years want to inflict on anyone, least of all Will Riker.

That night Will came to her room to say good-night to her. "I hope that everything is to your liking," he said.

"Everything is fine," she replied.

"If you need anything you know how to reach me," he told her. He hesitated as if he expected a reply from her, and it occurred to Soren that perhaps he wanted to spend the night with her in her room. Just the thought of that made her heart pound so hard it felt like it was going to jump right out of her chest. Soren had never felt that way before, and it truly frightened her.

"I am very happy here, Will. But it is all so very new to me. I just need some time to get used to my new life. I hope you understand." Suddenly she was afraid that she might have angered him.

But he smiled. "Of course, Soren. I understand very well. I would never ask you to do anything that you don't feel ready for. Good night and I wish you happy dreams."

"The same to you," she said.

"Thank you." He kissed her gently on the lips. As he walked away Soren felt half an urge to ask him to stay after all.

As she turned to get ready for bed Soren suddenly felt the impact of all the events of the day hitting her all at once. She was asleep almost before her head hit the pillow.


	2. Deanna

Soren was a highly skilled pilot, and having already proven to work well with Will Riker on the rescue mission to save two of her fellow J'naii, she became his new co-pilot aboard the Enterprise on a permanent basis. They worked long hours together, sometimes around the clock. When they weren't busy working the were usually playing poker with the others or having a conversation over a bowl of Will's famous split pea soup. Will told Soren all about his childhood in Valdez, Alaska, and she told him all about growing up on J'naii and her adventures with her pilot parents. They each talked at length about their respective careers and adventures in space travel, and Soren laughed at his amusing stories. Neither of them discussed their past love affairs. Will just never brought the subject up, and Soren was afraid to.

Soren was fascinated by her new fellow crew members. She thought that Worf was a little frightening with his Klingon forehead arches and deep voice, until she got to know him and learned how much of a teddy bear kind of guy he really was. She learned a lot about the Ukraine on earth from Tasha Yar, and she thought that mild-mannered and soft-spoken Data was such a sweetheart, and that he and Tasha were a cute couple. She was curious about blind Geordi's eyeglasses that allowed him to see even better than a normally-sighted person, and she admired Dr. Beverly Crusher's professionalism as well as her femininity. She thought that Beverly's precocious son Wesley was amazing, and she was in awe of Captain Jean-Luc Picard, but Deanna Troi became her special confidante. She asked Deanna many questions about romantic relationships and the nature of men.

"What is the reason a man wants to be in a relationship with a woman? Is it primarily in hopes of marrying and producing offspring?"

"For some men that is a goal," Deanna replied. "Some men have a strong desire for the permanence and stability of a family. Some men value variety more and look for a series of short-term partners or even more than one partner at once."

"Which group of men is in the majority?"

"I would say that in general younger men are more likely to seek variety while older men are more likely to value stability. Except in the special case of the so-called 'mid-life crisis' in which a man fears getting older and begins to behave more like a younger man in an attempt to reclaim his lost youth."

"Once a love affair ends, is there ever a situation in which the couple reunites, or is the break-up always permanent?"

Deanna smiled. "If both individuals have have matured and reconciled their differences, then of course."

"Have you ever been married, Deanna?"

"No." Deanna looked sad.

"Why not?"

"The right man just never came along at the right time. Either it was the right man but the wrong time, or vice versa." Deanna seemed troubled. "Why do you want to know?"

Soren wasn't sure exactly how to answer. "It just seems to me that someone as pretty and nice as you are would have a partner."

Deanna smiled at the compliment. "I am happy as I am now. I have a full life and I don't need a partner to make it complete."

"But wouldn't having a partner make it less lonely and more pleasurable?"

"If it were the right partner at the right time, then yes. But that isn't the case right now and I am at peace with that."

Soren was silent for a time, thinking over Deanna's words. Previously she had felt pity for Deanna because of her current lack of a romantic relationship. Now she felt admiration for her because she had accepted her situation and made the best of it even though it was not ideal. Suddenly Soren thought of something.

"You told me that you have known Will for many years."

"That is true."

"How did you first meet him?"

"On my home planet of Betazed. He was stationed there temporarily and I was a psychology student."

There was something else Soren wanted to ask Deanna, but she felt terribly frightened. Finally she worked up the courage and asked her anyway.

"Were you and Will ever in love?"

Deanna looked away. "Yes." Her answer was barely perceptible.

Soren could feel her anxiety mounting. "Why did it end?"

Deanna sighed. "We were both very young and focused on our careers. Also, he wasn't yet ready to settle down."

"What do you mean by that?"

Deanna finally turned to face her. Soren thought that she looked like she was about to cry. "I mean that at the time he wasn't ready to love only one woman. Do you remember what I told you about the way some men are when they are younger? Will was like that."

Soren forced herself to ask the next question. "But do you love him still?"

"Yes, I do. But not in the same way. As relationships change and fluctuate constantly, so has mine and Will's. He and I will always be very dear friends. But he loves you now, Soren, in the way he once loved me. I would never attempt to interfere with that in any way."

Soren felt very unsettled for the rest of that afternoon. There was obviously a lot about Will's past that he had never told her. Why had he never done so? Was he trying to hide something? If one woman had never been enough for him before, how could she be sure that she was enough for him now? And Deanna had said that she still loved him, just not in the same way. What did that mean? Love was love, wasn't it? And if she still loved Will, chances were that he still loved her. What if he loved Deanna more than he loved her? He had certainly known Deanna a lot longer, and Deanna was very pretty, as well as intelligent.

That evening Will and Soren met for dinner as usual. Near the end of the meal Will asked, "Why are you so quiet tonight, Soren? Is something bothering you?"

"Why did you never tell me that you and Deanna were once in love?" Soren was very uptight and didn't realize how accusatory her words sounded to Will.

Will looked taken aback for a minute. "I never told you because it doesn't matter, Soren. Deanna and I are dear friends now, but that's all we are. You're the one I love now, Soren."

"Do you love her as well? Do you still need more than one woman to love?"

Will rolled his eyes in exasperation. "I don't know what you're talking about, Soren. As I told you before, Deanna and I are friends, but that's it. And as for me needing more than one woman to love, who put that idea into your head?"

"Deanna. She told me that the reason you two parted was that you couldn't love more than just one woman at a time."

He looked furious. "You are not to discuss my past with Deanna. Anything you want to know about it you can ask me. I have nothing to hide."

The next question was out of Soren's mouth before she could stop it. "Did you and Deanna have sexual relations?"

"Not that it's any of your business, but yes, we did. Is that the end of the interrogation?"

Tears filled Soren's eyes and she rushed back to her room, leaving Will sitting staring after her and feeling puzzled and hurt.


	3. Soren's Awakening

_Warning! This chapter contains some pretty explicit sexual material! If you think that you might be offended then please do not read it!_

_

* * *

_

Soren looked at her face in the mirror. What momentary lapse in sanity had induced her to rebel against the leadership of her home planet and escape on the Enterprise? And for what? Here she was, the only J'naii amidst humans, androids, Klingons, and Betazoids. If she had ever truly felt like an outcast, it was right at this moment. Tears began to stream down her face.

"What troubles you, Soren?"

Soren looked around to see who had spoken. It was Data. Dear, sweet Data, who in his own way was just as childlike and innocent as she herself was, if not even more so.

"Oh Data, I don't belong here on the Enterprise. Look at me! I'm different from everyone else here. Nobody else on board has a forehead like mine. Everyone else was born knowing whether they were male or female and grew up that way. I should have just stayed on J'naii and tried to forget about my dream of being able to live openly as a woman without shame and ridicule."

"On the contrary, I find your presence here on the Enterprise to be a refreshing change. I think that your forehead is lovely, as is the rest of you. You bring a diversity and different perspective to our group here. I consider that to be most welcome." As usual Data, for all his social awkwardness in general, had known just the right thing to say to comfort her.

"Oh Data, you are so kind." Soren embraced him, and he put his arms around her awkwardly. "I was merely stating what to me seems to be an accurate observation," he said.

Suddenly Tasha Yar was there, taking Data by the hand. She gave Soren a look that, while not obviously hostile, was definitely less than friendly. "What are you doing here?" she asked Data.

Data gave Soren a helpless look and followed Tasha. He seemed totally oblivious to anything being amiss. Soren was puzzled, wondering what she had done to offend Tasha.

* * *

Deanna Troi heard a knock on her door. It was Will Riker.

"Come in, Will," she said. She waited until he was seated. "What's on your mind?"

"Deanna, I think that perhaps it was a mistake for me to get involved with Soren. I was just so strongly attracted to her that I must have taken temporary leave of my senses. Now I realize that we might not be compatible."

"What has happened, Will?"

"Soren has begun to act insecure and jealous, which as you know is a big turn off for me. Last night she all but accused me of being a philanderer."

"Yesterday Soren came to me and asked me a lot of questions. She wanted to know about our past relationship. I told her the basic facts without going into detail. She seemed concerned about how to prevent the loss of your love."

"Well, the way she spoke to me last night was definitely not conducive to that concept."

Deanna thought for awhile. Finally she asked, "How important is this relationship to you, Will?"

Will considered her question. Then he said, "Under the circumstances, I can't just toss Soren aside. Where would she go? Obviously she can't return to her own people. Where else could she turn?"

"I believe that Soren genuinely cares for you, Will. Right now she feels overwhelmed because this is all so new to her, and she feels unsure about her ability to maintain a romantic relationship. If you really care for her and want to be with her, she needs a lot of patience and understanding from you. Remember that for the very first time in her life she no longer has to hide her feminine nature. It's going to take some time for her to learn how to express it appropriately. If you truly care for her and want this relationship to work out, you must understand that."

"Thank you, Deanna. You have helped me to see the situation in a whole new light."

"Any time, Will." She gave him a hug and kissed his cheek.

* * *

Will approached Soren's closed door with trepidation. He knew that he had to speak to her, but he wasn't sure what to say, or whether she would believe him anyway.

He knocked softly and Soren let him in. He could see that her eyes were red from crying, and that made him feel even more awkward.

Soren sat on her bed and waited silently for him to speak. She had been surprised to see him at her door after the unpleasant scene from the previous night. She wondered whether he was there in an attempt to reconcile or to deliver devastating news.

Finally Will said, "Soren, please believe me, there's no other woman in the world I want but you. I love you so very much, Soren. I only wish that there were some way I could make you believe that."

Soren was flooded with relief combined with another emotion not yet familiar enough for her to recognize it. "Will, please forgive me. It was so wrong of me to have doubted you. I know that you wouldn't have put your career on the line to rescue me from J'naii if you didn't really care." She looked longingly into his soulful blue eyes. "I want so badly to love you, Will. But I don't know how. Will you show me?"

Will kissed her passionately, the way he had last kissed her in the woods on J'naii. She lay back on the bed and he lay beside her, still kissing her while his hands moved all over her body. Gently he removed her upper garment and nuzzled her rudimentary nipples with his lips and tongue. Soren had never been touched exactly like that before, and it felt very pleasant. Will removed her lower garment and explored between her legs with his fingers. Almost immediately he hesitated, looking confused.

Soren barely noticed. She was too busy removing his clothing, her heart pounding madly with anticipation. As soon as she had undressed him she took his swollen and rigid male organ in her hand and softly explored every inch of it with her fingers. She glanced at his face to see him smiling encouragingly at her. Suddenly she had the overpowering urge to take him into her mouth, so she did, licking and suckling with abandon. At the same time she moved her hand to stroke the soft skin of his scrotum. She heard him moan with pleasure, and that made her feel incredibly excited.

Then she felt him thrust forcefully and her mouth filled with a hot wetness. She gulped and swallowed several times. Then he went limp and fell out of her mouth. Soren marveled at the difference between the hardness of his organ before and the softness of it now but was too overcome to say anything.

Will took her into his arms and held her close. She could hear his ragged breathing and feel his heart beating fast and strong. Neither of them said anything for a long time. Then Will broke the silence.

"My God, Soren, where did you learn how to do _that_?"

"Nowhere. It just came to me."

"You're kidding."

"No, I'm serious. Did you find it pleasurable?"

"You mean you have to ask?" He laughed and she joined in. "So how many other hidden talents do you have?"

She blushed furiously and couldn't look at him. He gently touched her chin and looked directly into her eyes, and then he kissed her tenderly on the mouth and held her close to him. "I only wish that I could give you the same pleasure you have just given me, Soren."

"It gives me pleasure just to know that I have pleased you, Will."

He gently stroked her hair. "Oh, my sweet, precious Soren."

In a vague way Soren thought that there must be more to the human mating experience than what she and Will had just done, but right now she was too tired and emotionally charged to want to ponder it too much.

"Will you stay here with me tonight, Will? I don't feel like being alone tonight."

"Of course I will, Soren. I was hoping that you would want me to stay with you."

Tears sprang unexpectedly to Soren's eyes and she sniffled just a little bit. Will looked at her, his eyes filled with concern. "What's wrong, sweetheart?"

"I was just thinking about a couple of days ago when I was looking at myself in the mirror and telling myself that I should have just stayed where I was, that I didn't belong here at all."

"Oh, Soren, please don't ever tell yourself that again. Right here in my arms is exactly where you belong. And right where I want you to stay."

"I know that now. Good night, Will."

"Good night, my love." Only minutes later both of them were sound asleep.


	4. What Love Is

_This one has a little more sex in it but it's a whole lot tamer than the last chapter. :)_

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* * *

_

"It just doesn't seem fair, does it?" It was the following morning, and Will and Soren were still lying in each other's arms, both naked except for the sheet covering them. Drowsily content, they were both trying desperately to think of excuses for putting off starting their work day.

"What doesn't seem fair?" Soren asked.

"A J'naii should be able to derive just as much pleasure from the sex act as a human does."

"I told you, Will, as long as you receive pleasure, then I am happy."

"But I want you to experience pleasure as well, Soren." Will knew what he wanted to say to her, but he wasn't sure how to say it without the risk of making her feel any more insecure than she already felt.

"Soren, to me your body is beautiful just as it is, but if Dr. Crusher or one of her colleagues could alter your anatomy just slightly to allow you to receive sexual pleasure, would you be in agreement with that?"

"I don't know what you are talking about, Will."

Once again Will struggled to find the right words. "Soren, females of human and most other races have a vagina, and during the sex act, the male penetrates the vagina and that gives great pleasure to both of them. You seem to have a vagina, but it is very small, too small for me to penetrate without injuring you. If there were a way that your vagina could be enlarged so that you could experience penetration, would you be in agreement with that?"

"Would that be more pleasurable than what we did last night?"

"For you, definitely."

Soren already realized that she had vestigial sex organs left over from the time when the J'naii had gender. She had always been told that they were evolutionary throwbacks to an earlier time, similar to the appendix in humans, so had never given much thought to them at all, until now.

"You know so much more about these things than I do, Will. I am in agreement with whatever you desire."

"It might would involve some temporary physical discomfort during the recuperation process."

"I wouldn't mind that, if it could make me more like a real female."

"You already are a real female to me, Soren. This would only improve upon what you already have."

"You make it sound like it wouldn't be much of a big deal."

"In all likelihood it wouldn't be." He smiled.

"And suppose the procedure wasn't successful?"

"We would just have to deal with it and find some way to work around it. I wouldn't love you any less than I do now, Soren." He stroked her hair. "Shall I talk to Dr. Crusher about it then?"

She smiled back. "Yes."

"Well then, it's settled. We'd better get back to work or everyone will wonder what happened to us."

Soren pretended to pout and Will laughed and smacked her bottom playfully.

* * *

Will and Soren continued to work together closely. To Soren there seemed to be a new closeness and familiarity between the two of them that hadn't been there before the night they had spent together in her room. She wondered how noticeable this was to their fellow crew members. Once she caught Deanna Troi's eye and Deanna smiled warmly at her. Soren wondered how much, if any, of their relationship Will had discussed with her. Soren decided that she would rather not know.

Will did indeed speak to Beverly about Soren's situation, and with a combination of surgery and hormone treatments, Beverly, with the assistance of a colleague who specialized in male-to-female gender reassignment, was able to give Soren both a functional vagina and a clitoris. Shortly afterwards Will and Soren were able to experience intercourse for the first time, and Soren had her first orgasm. It was so totally different from anything she had ever experienced with a fellow J'naii that for her there was not even a basis for comparison. She considered Will Riker to be her first true lover, and she told him so. He seemed pleased and very honored.

* * *

One afternoon Will was in his quarters looking at some old family photos when he heard a knock at the door. It was Soren.

"Hi, sweetheart. Come in," he said with a smile.

"Am I disturbing you?" Soren asked.

"Not at all. I was just looking at some family pictures. Would you like to join me?"

"I would love to," she said with a smile.

"Here's one of me and my dad when I was about ten. Those are the Chugach mountains in the background. Aren't they beautiful?"

"Breathtaking."

"I will take you there some day soon." He smiled.

"So was your mother the one who took the photo?"

"No, it was taken by a family friend. We lost my mom when I was two. She had a ruptured aneurysm."

Soren covered his hand with her own. "I am so sorry, Will."

"You never told me much about your parents, except that they were pilots," he said.

"I'm afraid there isn't much to tell. They were killed in an accident several years ago."

"I am sorry."

"I was devastated."

"Of course you were," he said gently.

"My parents were all in the world I had."

"No aunts or uncles or cousins? No close friends?"

"I could never let anyone get too close. They might uncover my secret. You know what that would have meant."

"Yes, of course." He looked thoughtful. "What about your parents? Did they know?"

"I tried my best to keep it from them. I knew how devastated they would be if they found out. As far as I know I was successful."

"What was their marriage like? Was it happy?"

"They were very good friends. They got along really well and almost never argued. But their relationship was strictly platonic, as it is for all J'naii's. Mating was strictly for procreation, never simply for pleasure. They had a genuine fondness for each other, but there was never any passion." A sob caught in her throat, and tears sprang to her eyes.

"Oh, Soren." Gently he wiped away her tears and put his arms around her and held her tight.

"They never knew what it's like to really be in love. They never experienced the most wonderful feeling in the world."

Will held her and comforted her, not really knowing what to say.

Finally she said, "I'm so sorry, Will. You must have been having a pleasant time reliving old memories and then I came in here and got you all depressed."

"No need to apologize, Soren. You didn't do anything wrong. I love to have these heart-to-heart talks with you. It's perfectly understandable that you feel sad for your parents, and it's fine that you shared that with me. In fact, I'm glad that you did. That's what love is, sharing sorrows as well as joys."

"Thank you, Will. I can't imagine not having you in my life."

"I can't imagine my life without you in it either, Soren."

She smiled. "Well, I guess you're stuck with me then."

He laughed. "I wouldn't have it any other way," he said. "Would you like to see some more pictures of the mountains? I have some really gorgeous ones of the waterfalls and glaciers at Thompson Pass."


	5. Data and Tasha

Will and Soren were in Soren's quarters. Soren was lying on the bed, but she wasn't asleep. Will was sitting on the bed beside her. Gently he traced the shape of the intricate whorls on her forehead with his finger. He was still so very intrigued by her exotic features, as she was by his. It was so nice to just be able to spend quiet time together, just the two of them, during the evening.

Suddenly Will's communicator beeped. It was Data. "Please meet me on the holodeck in about five minutes. Tasha and I have something very important that we want to tell all of you at once."

Slightly annoyed at having their quiet time together interrupted, Will and Soren headed for the holodeck. As soon as everyone arrived, Data announced, "I called you all here to to tell you that I have asked this lovely lady to marry me, and she has agreed." He embraced Tasha, and she beamed. Everone cheered and took turns congratulating the happy couple. Soren hugged first Data, then Tasha. "I am so happy for you," she told them.

"When's the date?" Will asked.

"It hasn't been determined yet. When it is, we'll let you know," Data told him.

Will and Soren returned to Soren's quarters, but the moment had been irretrievably lost, and neither of them was in the mood to resume their previous intimacy.

"I can't believe our old friend Data is finally going to tie the knot," Will remarked.

"Tie what knot?"

Will chuckled. "It's just an expression referring to marriage."

"Will there be a ceremony? What will it be like?"

"If the wedding takes place on Earth, which will most likely be the case, there will indeed be a ceremony with flowers, a cake, the whole nine yards."

"So on Earth the beginning of a marriage is a very formalized ceremony."

"Yes, it is."

"It sounds like a very enjoyable experience."

"Truthfully, the tradition is that it is much more eagerly anticipated by the bride than by the groom. For her it is the fulfillment of her dreams, the capturing of her beloved's heart. For the groom it signifies the end of his carefree days and the time when he will finally have to 'grow up'. The reason for the so-called 'bachelor party' has always been to give the groom one last chance to act selfishly and irresponsibly before he has to put those days behind him forever."

Soren was deep in thought. "So for a woman marriage is a positive thing, and for a man it is a negative thing."

"Oh no, not at all. That is a very outdated and sexist way of looking at it. It isn't nearly as true in modern times as it was in the distant past. It's always been much more of a stereotype than an actual truth anyway, although there may be a kernel of truth to it."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, at the risk of sounding sexist, women are traditionally 'supposed' to be more monogamous than men. For a woman the idea has always been to find the one man who will love only her forever. Men tend to place more importance on variety and so have more of a reluctance to limit themselves to just one woman. There's always the thought in the back of his mind that somewhere out there may exist a more desirable partner than the one he is currently with."

Soren was quiet for a long time. Then she asked softly, "Is that true for you, Will?"

Will didn't answer right away. Finally he replied, "I think it was quite true of me when I was much younger. I fell in love very easily and fell out of it just as easily. It seemed that as soon as I met a woman who would make a perfect mate I would notice another waiting in the wings who would make me less sure of that."

Soren remembered what Deanna had told her about the nature of men, and also about how her own relationship with Will had ended.

"Is it still true of you today?" she asked.

Will took a long time to reply again. "Soren, when I was a younger man I never imagined that I would still be single by the time I was as old as I am now. I just took it for granted that I would someday be a husband and father. I have achieved all of the career goals I set for myself, and more. Yet I have no one to share my success with. I am tired of being alone, Soren." He took both her hands and looked directly into her eyes. His clear blue eyes had never looked so serious. "I want someone to share my life with. I want that very badly."

Suddenly he stood up, grinned, and tousled her hair playfully. "I've had a long day, Soren. Don't take anything I say too seriously."

Soren didn't know what to think.

* * *

The next day she and Tasha Yar ate lunch together. She couldn't wait to ask Tasha all about it.

"So when did he ask you?"

"Two nights ago. Oh, Soren, it was so romantic! We were watching 'Casablanca' in his quarters, and as soon as the movie was over, he switched off the DVD player, got down on one knee, and proposed."

"Is it traditional for marriage proposals to be done on one knee?"

"It's certainly the most romantic way!" Tasha said.

"So how does it feel?" Soren asked.

"Oh my God, I am so excited! I can't wait to start preparing for the wedding. There will be the invitations to send out, the cake to order, my dress and Data's tuxedo..." Tasha was very animated.

"So are you sure that Data is truly the man you want to spend the rest of your life with?"

"Oh, yes! He's handsome, very intelligent, and such a sweetheart. I can't imagine loving any man more than I love Data."

"I hope that you two will be very happy together," Soren said.

"Thank you," Tasha said. "How are things going between you and Will?"

"I'm not sure," Soren said. "I feel that he doesn't want me to know his true feelings about things. Sometimes he sounds very serious while talking to me and then pretends that he was only joking."

Tasha laughed. "Oh Soren, that sounds so typical of a man. They like to pretend that they don't really care when deep down inside they really do. They just think it's unmanly to let their vulnerability show. It took Data forever to finally admit his true feelings for me."

"I suppose I'll just have to be patient then," Soren said.

"I think that you are absolutely right," Tasha said.


	6. Forever and Always

"I promised you that I would take you to see the place where I grew up," Will said to Soren. "I keep my promises, don't I?"

Will and Soren were in the helicopter on the way to the ski resort at the top of the mountain. Soren marveled at the beauty of the snow covered mountainside.

"It seems so peaceful up here," Soren said. "Everything looks so clean, pure, and white, like it's never been touched before."

"Appearances are deceiving." Will winked at her. "See that tree over there? It's still bent from the time that I slammed into it when I was twelve." Soren thought that he was serious until she saw his expression. He saw hers and burst out laughing.

As the helicopter got closer and closer to the top of the mountain, Soren got more and more excited. She had never been skiing before, but Will had learned to ski at a very young age and assured her that she would enjoy it immensely.

"My friends and I came here every weekend when I was a teenager," he told her. "There are beginner's slopes for people like you who are just learning. It's not difficult at all and you'll have so much fun. Trust me." Will seemed particularly animated as he relived old memories. Soren couldn't wait to see for herself if he was right.

Finally the helicopter reached the top and they found the beginner's slopes. Will, to whom skiing came as naturally as walking, went on the beginner's slopes himself to keep Soren company.

At first Soren felt awkward when wearing the skis and handling the poles for the first time. Will patiently explained to her the best way to keep her balance and ski straight, and she tried very hard to follow his directions exactly.

Soren's first trip down the mountain was awkward. She fell a couple of times and was embarrassed. Will helped her up and stayed with her until they were at the bottom and waiting for the helicopter again.

Soren thought that she would have enjoyed piloting the helicopter that took them back up to the top of the mountain. She hadn't piloted such small craft in a long time. Helping Will pilot the Enterprise was a different thing altogether.

Soren's second trip down the mountain went more smoothly. She only fell once, and Will told her that she was a fast learner.

Soren skied down the beginner's slope with Will several more times, and each time the trip down seemed smoother. Soren began to relax and enjoy herself. It was like nothing she had ever experienced before. She felt as if she were flying. It was the most exhilarating experience she had ever had. It must have been so difficult for Will to leave all this behind to join Starfleet as a young man, she thought.

* * *

At first Soren thought that someone had thrown a snowball and hit her in the back of the head. Then it felt like a solid wall of snow hit her from behind and knocked her flat. She couldn't see anything but white. She moved her arms and legs in a swimming motion in the direction she thought must be up, but the snow was so heavy. She felt so weak and disoriented, and her hands and feet were going numb. She thought that she heard voices, but they sounded so muffled through the blanket of snow covering her. She began to feel drowsy and fought with all her might to stay awake, because she knew that if she fell asleep she would never wake up. Keeping a pocket of air in front of her face so that she wouldn't suffocate, she continued to struggle, although by now moving her limbs took tremendous effort. Suddenly she felt her fist break through a barrier of some kind. Excited, she waved her exposed arm with all her might. Her pocket of air collapsed and she got a mouthful of snow.

"I found her! She's over here!" It was a male voice and Soren could hear it clearly. Seconds later two men were pulling her up out of the snow. Will? She looked from one face to the other. Neither of them were Will, but he was there within seconds, gently gathering her up into his arms.

"Soren...oh my God, Soren..." He sounded as if he were crying. "Speak to me, please baby, say something, say anything..."

Soren tried to speak, but all she could do was cough up snow. She made retching noises and was suddenly gasping huge gulps of frigid air, which was very painful. Tears came to her eyes.

"Thank God." Will sounded extremely relieved as he hugged her to his chest as tightly as he could.

Soren's teeth were chattering so hard she could barely speak. "W-W-Will?"

"It's going to be all right, baby. I've got you now. Everything's going to be fine."

Soren was in another helicopter, this one taking her not back to the top of the mountain but to the nearest hospital to be treated for hypothermia. Will held her tightly the whole way, caressing her and saying her name over and over again.

When the helicopter landed, he helped to lower her onto a stretcher. She was rushed to the ICU, where blanket upon blanket was piled on top of her and tucked in all around her. Soren was still shivering uncontrollably. She felt as if she would never be warm again.

Soren stayed in the ICU for a long time as the medical personnel struggled to get her body temperature stabilized. Will was by her side the whole time, helping her to sit up and making her drink cup after cup of black coffee and clear broth.

Finally her teeth stopped chattering enough that she was able to talk.

"What happened?" she asked.

"There was an avalanche," "Will told her. "The owners of the ski resort told me they had taken every precaution, used explosives and everything. But it happened anyway." He sounded like he still couldn't believe it. Soren was completely bewildered.

"Don't try to talk now, sweetie. Just relax and try to get some rest. We'll talk some more when you're feeling better." Will stroked her hair and she closed her eyes. She was asleep almost instantly.

* * *

It was a couple of days later. Soren was out of imminent danger and had been moved from the ICU to a regular hospital room. The medical personnel thought it best that she be kept for another day or two for observation, just to be safe.

Her hands and feet felt as if sharp pins and needles were sticking in them. The doctors and nurses taking care of her said that that was a very good thing, that it meant that all of her fingers and toes were still alive, that they were not frozen.

One doctor remarked on how fortunate it was that she had dressed as warmly as she had.

"So many tourists underestimate just how bitterly cold it can get sometimes up here and underdress. We see so many cases of frostbite in the winter, I couldn't begin to tell you how many."

Soren remembered that it had been Will who had insisted that she wear so many layers of socks and gloves.

"My friend grew up here," she told the doctor. "He told me how warmly to dress."

"Well, he gave you excellent advice," the doctor told her.

After the doctor had left, Will said, "I feel just awful about what happened, Soren. I wish that we had never came here. I wanted to share with you some of the experiences I enjoyed while growing up. Instead I almost got you killed."

"It wasn't your fault, Will. You had no way of knowing the avalanche was going to happen."

"I knew that it was a possibility. I could have told you that, but I didn't." He paused. "I didn't want to frighten you."

"I wanted to come, Will." She touched his hand. "I wanted to see where you grew up. Even after what happened I'm not sorry that we came. I'm glad I got to see the mountains, and riding in the helicopter was fun."

"Hey, I'm supposed to be comforting you, and instead you're comforting me." He grinned, and Soren laughed for the first time since the accident had happened.

He squeezed her hand. "Well, I promise that our next adventure on Earth will be much more pleasant." He cleared his throat. "That is, if you would still like to come back to Earth with me again."

"I would go anywhere in the universe with you, Will Riker," she said.

"I'm so glad you feel that way, Soren," he said softly, giving her a big hug and kiss. All of a sudden he looked excited. "Hey, when the summer gets here I'll take you kayaking. You don't have to worry about avalanches in the summertime."

"Perhaps." Soren closed her eyes. All she wanted right now was to be back home again.

* * *

Soren had been released from the hospital, and Will still had several days of leave time left before he had to report back to the Enterprise, so he took her to see the Chugach National Forest. He told her the names of the trees and other things about them.

"This is a sitka spruce. The Eskimos use the roots for weaving baskets. And this is a western hemlock. It's boughs are used to collect herring eggs by the Tlinget Eskimos."

Soren ran her hand gently over the bark of the tree, and then looked up to where the top of the evergreens towered high into the sky. "Both of them can grow to be 70 meters tall," Will added.

"Do you remember that night on J'naii after the dinner when I took you on a tour and showed you some of our trees?" Soren asked.

Will smiled dreamily. "How could I ever forget?" Then he looked sad. "You certainly got into enough trouble over that, didn't you?" he said softly.

"It's all right. If it hadn't been for what happened that night, you would have left on the Enterprise and I would have stayed on J'naii and we probably would never have seen each other again."

Will was silent. Soren could tell that he had something important on his mind. She was patient, waiting until he was ready to tell her what it was.

"Soren, it took nearly losing you to make me realize just how precious you are to me. I couldn't bear to have to live without you. You mean the world to me, and I want you by my side forever and always." He knelt on one knee on the forest floor. "Will you marry me, Soren?"

Tears were streaming down her face. "Nothing in the world would make me happier than that, Will."

"So you will?"

"Yes, I will."

"You have made me a very happy man, Soren." He took a ring from his pocket and slipped it on her finger. "If you don't like this one, we can exchange it for another."

Soren looked at the diamond sparkling in the sun. "Oh Will, it's beautiful. I love it."

"I'm glad." He took her hand. "Come on, let me show you the rest of the forest. We've barely scratched the surface."

Soren felt as if she were walking on clouds.


	7. Thomas Riker

_Author's note: This is the way that I imagine episode #150, 'Second Chances', might have turned out if Soren had been aboard the Enterprise at the time._

_

* * *

_

"It is just as suspected," Will told Soren, once they were alone in her quarters. "He is identical to me in every way. Even his memories are the same, up until the mishap with the transport beam."

Will had led an away team to retrieve some important scientific data from a planet called Nervala IV. The attempt had not been successful, but the away team had made a truly shocking discovery: a man who called himself Will Riker and seemed to be identical to Will in every way.

"Where did he come from?" Soren asked.

"Eight years ago I was a lieutenant on the USS Potemkin. We had come to Nervala IV to rescue a research team which had lost the data. I was the last one to be beamed back aboard the Potemkin after the rescue, and the transporter officer tried to beam me up by splitting the transport beam. Part of the transport beam was reflected back to the planet, causing an exact replica of me to be materialized."

Soren's mind raced in a struggle to absorb it all. She had heard of mishaps involving transport beams before, but never one this bizarre.

"So he is essentially another you?"

"Absolutely identical in every way, it seems."

"But his memories are identical only up until the time of the transport beam accident. And that was eight years ago."

"Yes."

"You and I didn't even know each other eight years ago. So he doesn't know me."

"No, he doesn't."

"Where is he right now?"

"The last time I saw him he was on the holodeck with Data and Geordi. Would you like to meet him?" Data and Tasha had just returned from their honeymoon in Paris, France, on Earth.

"Of course I would."

Will and Soren went to the holodeck to see if he was still there. Soren saw him sitting at a table and couldn't believe her eyes. If he and Will had been standing side by side she wouldn't have been able to tell them apart.

He saw her coming and stood, smiling politely. "Hello," he said pleasantly. "I don't believe we have met. I am Lieutenant William Riker."

To Soren, it felt just like meeting Will again for the first time.

"I am Soren from the planet J'naii," she told him.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Soren of J'naii." His grin - Will's grin - broadened as he shook her hand. Soren felt an unexpected twinge of guilt. _I know what you look like naked, _she thought. _I know every inch of your body intimately. _She couldn't look him in the eye.

Will, sensing her discomfort, put a protective arm around her. "Soren has had a long day and is tired," he said.

"I will wish you a good night then, and look forward to seeing you again tomorrow." Even his voice sounded identical to Will's.

"That was the strangest experience I've ever had," Soren said later to Will, when when they were back in her quarters. "I felt just like I was meeting you for the first time all over again."

"Strange doesn't even begin to describe it," Will said. "I keep expecting to wake up and find out that it was just a dream."

* * *

Over the next couple of days, Soren thought of approaching the newcomer, but she still felt too uneasy to really talk to him. She still felt a sense of having invaded his privacy, no matter how unreasonable she tried to tell herself those feelings were. Will himself was becoming increasingly frustrated.

"I am his superior officer, and he resents having to take commands from me," Will complained to Soren.

"You have had opportunities for advancement that he never had, being stranded on Nervala IV for eight years," Soren said. "I can understand his being bitter about that."

Will just looked aggravated. "Well, I'm sorry as hell for all his missed opportunities, but that isn't my fault. There was nothing I could have done about it. I didn't even know he existed until just a short time ago."

Soren rubbed his back and he looked more relaxed.

"Maybe he feels that you don't understand his point of view," she said.

"It isn't my job to understand his point of view. It's my job to see that he performs his own job as he should."

"That's true, but perhaps you should be a bit more patient with him. After all, this has to be a pretty big adjustment for him, after being all by himself for so long."

"I swear, sometimes you sound so much like Deanna." He grinned at her.

"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?" Now he was sitting down and she was massaging his shoulders.

"I don't know. All I know right now is that that feels wonderful and I don't want you to stop."

She embraced him and kissed the top of his head. "Well, at least I've got you smiling again," she said.

* * *

"This is a picture that Will - the new Will - painted for me of the Janaran falls," Deanna told Soren.

"It's beautiful," Soren said.

"It is beautiful," Deanna agreed. "I hope that you have the opportunity to visit my beautiful planet of Betazed some day."

"I know that's where you first met Will."

"Yes." Deanna had a dreamy, far-away look in her eyes. "And the Jalara jungle, where the Janara fall are located, is the place where our relationship was first consummated, and I became his Imzadi."

For Soren, the words were like a dagger plunging deep into her heart. She wished with all her might that it could have been her there in the Jalara jungle with Will. She knew that an 'Imzadi' was a very special thing that she could never be.

"Please don't look so sad, Soren." Deanna placed a gentle hand on her arm, and Soren remembered how utterly impossible it was for her to hide her true feelings from Deanna, as it was for everyone she knew.

"At that time he was young and very ambitious. His career was more important to him than I was. That was why he failed to meet me for our planned vacation on the planet Risa. He received an unexpected promotion and chose that over our relationship."

"That must have been so painful for you," Soren said.

"It was." Deanna had that dreamy look in her eyes again. "But the new Will still feels the same for me as he did during that time on Betazed. He told me that the only thing that kept him sane during those eight lonely years was the hope of meeting me on Risa. It broke his heart when he realized that he had missed it."

Deanna looked as if she might cry. Soren felt awkward.

"I thought that I had moved on with my life, that I had closed the book on that part of my past. Yet when he called me 'Imzadi' and held me in his arms, it felt just like we were on Betazed again."

"So you do still have feelings for him?"

Deanna nodded almost imperceptibly.

"Your Will told me that I should be careful. He thinks that the other Will might put his career ahead of our relationship and I might get hurt again, like what happened before. Beverly thinks that I should give the relationship a chance and see what happens."

Soren wasn't sure what to say. Was Deanna asking her for advice?

Finally she said, "If I were you, and I didn't give the relationship a chance, I think that I would always wonder what would have happened if I had. I remember how scary it was for me to leave J'naii behind and join Will on the Enterprise, but now I am so very glad that I did. I can't bear to think what my life might be like now if I had refused him and stayed on J'naii. I think it would just be pure torture for me to wonder what might have been."

Deanna listened quietly, and when Soren was finished speaking, she gave her a big hug. "Thank you so much for listening to me, Soren."

"I don't really feel like I was that much help," Soren told her modestly.

"You're a great listener, Soren. That means everything in the world to me."

* * *

Later that same day Will and Soren had dinner together in Will's quarters.

"This is a new recipe I just tried," Will told her. "I wanted to get your opinion of it."

Soren took a taste. "Delicious. You are a terrific cook, Will."

"Nah." She could tell from the way he grinned and blushed that he was pleased.

"Deanna showed me a picture that the other Will painted for her today. It was of the Janaran falls in the Jalora jungle on Betazed."

Will was silent. Soren wondered whether it had been a mistake to bring up the subject.

"Could have used a little more salt." He was busy clearing the table. Soren didn't say anything.

A few minutes later Will finally spoke again. "Yes, Betazed is a beautiful planet."

Soren could tell that he didn't really want to talk about it so she didn't press the matter.

* * *

A couple of days later the new Will called all his fellow crew members together to make an announcement.

"I have accepted a post on the starship Gandhi. I leave a week from today. Deanna has agree to accompany me and join the crew of the Gandhi as a counselor."

Deanna, who was standing beside him, smiled. It's so hard to say good-bye. I have been the counselor for the Enterprise for the past six years and I have many wonderful memories. I will miss each and every one of you very much. I will never forget all the special times we shared together. At the same time I look forward to this new opportunity to serve Starfleet side by side with the man I love." She and the new Will embraced.

"I have also decided that from now on I will be known by our middle name, Thomas, so that there will be less confusion," Thomas said. Soren knew that Will disliked his middle name.

* * *

Later, Will and Soren were in Soren's quarters, talking about the departure of Thomas and Deanna for the Gandhi.

"I suppose it will be a relief for you," Soren said. "I know that he had a hard time accepting your authority."

"Well, we had kind of patched things up recently. Ever since I saved him from falling when the bridge collapsed, he had become more accepting of the way things are. I gave him my trombone as a gesture of goodwill."

"I will miss hearing you play it."

"I can easily buy another one next time I am on Earth." He smiled. "I imagine it's more of a relief for you."

"What are you talking about?"

"It must have been awkward for you, being on the Enterprise with both of us and knowing that we were formerly lovers," he said gently. "I know it would have been awkward for me if the situation had been reversed."

All Soren could think about was the Janaran falls in the Jalora jungle on Betazed. She felt such a longing deep inside that tears sprang to her eyes.

"Are you all right?" Will asked.

"Yes, I'm fine, but oh God, I just want you so badly right now."

He chuckled softly. "Well, you don't have to cry." He picked her up and gently laid her on the bed. Quickly he removed her clothing and then his own.

He lay beside her on the bed, caressing her and stroking her in her most sensitive areas. Then he rolled onto her and entered her. She started to move and he whispered, "No, not yet." He continued to shower her face with kisses and then gently, slowly, began to move inside her. She felt her body moving toward climax and clung to him tightly, moving more slowly, wanting to savor the experience. Suddenly she felt a tidal wave washing over her, starting deep inside her and radiating out to the tips of her fingers and toes. She clung to Will like a drowning man to a lifesaver, crying out as the waves of pleasure coursed through her body. She heard Will groan as he climaxed himself. She felt as if she and Will were floating together on an endless sea, two entities merged into one being.

Soren opened her eyes and saw Will gazing at her with amusement and curiosity.

"What got into you just then, Soren?" he asked laughingly.

"I was just thinking...the waterfalls...the jungle..."

He kissed her. "Oh Soren, we have plenty of time for waterfalls and jungles. We have all the time in the world."

"We can't be too sure of that," Soren said softly.

"What do you mean?" He looked puzzled, and a little alarmed.

"Accidents involving snow, transport beams, and starship bridges just seem to be all too common." Soren spoke so softly that he could barely hear her.

Will gently lifted her chin and looked directly at her. His blue eyes had never before looked so tender.

"Soren, my love, listen to me. No one knows what the future holds. That's what makes every moment I spend with you so precious. It doesn't have to be near a waterfall or in a jungle or on a mountain to be special. Just to be with you right here on the Enterprise this moment makes me so very happy. If I knew that tomorrow were the last day of my life, it wouldn't matter to me where I spent it as long as I was with you."

Soren smiled. "I love you so much, Will Riker."

"I love you too, darling. Do you feel better now?"

"Much better. Can I please have a back rub?"

"Your wish is my command." He rubbed her back until she fell asleep. Then he turned out the light and went to sleep himself, his body tightly curled around hers.


	8. Wedding In Alaska

  
Alaska was every bit as lovely in the summer as in the winter, Soren thought, gazing at the blanket of little purple wildflowers covering the valley against the backdrop of the stately mountains. Or perhaps the joy in her heart made the whole world seem more beautiful to her, she reflected, as she stood side by side with Will, exchanging wedding vows.

The minister, a friend of Will's father, said "You may kiss the bride." Will lifted Soren's veil and tenderly kissed her lips as the celebrants cheered and threw rice.

Soren beamed up at Will. "Well, we did it," she said.

"Indeed we did." Her new husband was grinning from ear to ear. He put his arm around her as they both turned to face their guests.

Soren was aware that the guests were all Will's people; none of them were hers. Needless to say, she was no longer in touch with any of the inhabitants of J'naii, and had had very little contact with anyone outside the crew of the Enterprise since her rescue, in large part due to Will's concern for her safety.

Not that that fact diminished the happiness of this special day in any way, Soren thought. Everyone was so very nice to her, as they always had been. Whether out of compassion for the ordeal she had been through on J'naii, or because of their fondness and respect for Will, Soren didn't know. She was just deeply grateful to each and every one of them. She also sorely missed Deanna Troi, who was finally enjoying her long-delayed vacation on Risa with her beloved Thomas.

The reception took place on an open-air pavillion. Captain Jean-Luc Picard sat to Will's right, and on Captain Picard's right sat Beverly Crusher, the matron of honor. Geordi, Data, and Worf also sat at the bride and groom's table.

"A starship captain's life is filled with solemn duty," Captain Picard said. "But none compares to my solemn duty as best man." He raised his glass and smiled affectionately at Will and Soren. "Will Riker, you have been my trusted right arm who has helped keep my course true and steady. You and Soren are my family. I wish you clear horizons. My friends, make it so." Captain Picard and the others upended their glasses.

A band began to play, and the guests began to mingle.

"I want you to meet my father," Will said to Soren. The older Riker was standing quietly to the side, holding his drink and observing the crowd.

"Dad, this is Soren," Will said. "Soren, my father."

The older man smiled politely. "Nice to meet you, Soren. I am Kyle Riker."

"Nice to meet you too," Soren said with a smile. He was tall like Will, with intelligent-looking dark brown eyes and Will's winning smile. His handshake was warm and firm. Soren immediately liked him very much.

"It was a beautiful ceremony, son," Kyle said to Will. "If only your mother could have been here. She would have been so proud of you."

"I know," Will said softly, looking at the ground.

"So you are from the planet J'naii," Kyle said to Soren.

"Yes. It's a very beautiful planet. I miss its trees and flowers very much." Suddenly a sob caught in Soren's throat and tears sprang to her eyes.

"Soren?" Will's voice was full of concern.

"I was just thinking of how badly I wish my parents could have been here today."

Will embraced her. "Soren's parents were killed in an accident," he explained to his father.

"I'm so sorry to hear that," Kyle said. "I know that I could never take the place of your father, but I am here for you any time you need me. I would be honored to consider you to be my daughter, if you would like that."

"Thank you so much, Mr. Riker." Soren threw her arms around him.

"Please." He laughed. "Call me Kyle, or even...dad."

"Does this make you my brother then?" Soren teased Will.

Will laughed out loud. "The way I feel toward you right now is anything but brotherly, Soren," he said, winking at her.

The band stopped playing, and Data began to speak. "Ladies and gentlemen, in my studies of Earth's marital rites I have discovered it is traditional to present the happy couple with a gift. Given Commander Riker's love of twentieth century jazz, I have chosen to present the following as my gift in honor of his and Soren's union."

Data began to recite a verse and the band joined in. "Never saw the sun shining so bright, never saw things going so right, noticing the days hurrying by, when you're in love, my how they fly."

He began to sing. "Blue skies smiling at me, nothing but blue skies do I see, bluebirds singing a song, nothing but skies from now on."

Will bowed to Soren. "Madam, may I have this dance?"

"With pleasure, kind sir," she laughed.

Gracefully they moved in time to the music, their bodies in pefect rhythm. Soren felt as if she were dancing on clouds. Will's strong arm around her felt so comforting, and as they moved together, distant memories flooded back to her. One of the very first questions Will had ever asked her. "Who leads when you dance, if you dance?" "We do, and the taller one leads," she had replied.

"What's so funny?" Will's question brought her back to the present.

"I was just remembering when we first met on the Enterprise, and you asked me who leads when J'naii's dance, and I told you that the taller partner leads."

"Which is usually true of dancing on Earth as well," Will laughed, looking down at the top of her head.

* * *

All three of them were very quiet on the short drive to the cemetery. Kyle parked the car under a large tree beside the front gate, and the three of them walked toward the mausoleum. They found the niche in the wall behind which was the urn containing Will's mother's ashes. Quietly they stood looking at the engraved memorial on the mausoleum wall. "Elizabeth Catherine 'Betty' Riker, 2305-2337, Beloved Wife and Mother."

Kyle spoke quietly. "Our boy got married today, Betty. He has grown up to be such a fine man. How I wish you could see him now." He lovingly touched the cold gray stone just as he might have touched her hair if she had been standing there. In his mind he could see Will as a chubby two-year-old crying for his mommy, and he could feel his own shameful sense of inadequacy. It still hurt even after all these years.

Soren, in the meantime, was thinking of her own parents' resting place on far away J'naii, a site she could never visit again. She did not regret the choice she had made, but oh, how sad she felt about certain things left behind forever.

Will was lost in his own thoughts, wondering what it would have been like if she had been there to tuck him into bed on those cold Alaskan nights, and to read him a bedtime story and kiss him good-night. He sighed deeply as he realized that he would never know.

Will placed the flowers in the receptacle provided and touched the cold gray stone himself, lightly tracing the engraving with his finger. He said but a single word. "Mother." The look on his face broke Soren's heart.

Will took Soren's hand and they silently walked back to the car. No one said anything on the ride back to Will's boyhood home. Soren rested her head on his shoulder and held his hand for the entire trip.

* * *

The next day Kyle accompanied Will and Soren to the airport.

"It was wonderful to see you again, son, and to meet your lovely wife," Kyle said to Will. To Soren he said, "It was such a pleasure to meet you, dear. Please take good care of Will, and if you ever need anything at all, please don't hesitate to ask."

Soren stood on her tiptoes to give him a big hug. "Good-bye...dad." She kissed his cheek.

"Good-bye, sweetie." As she turned away she thought she saw tears in his eyes.


	9. Honeymoon In New Orleans

"Wow, look at her! Isn't she a beaut?" Will held his new trombone at arm's length to admire it properly.

"I'm so happy that you are once again the owner of a trombone," Soren said lightly. "I can see the change in you already."

"She and I will never part," Will declared with determination.

His remark made her think of Thomas.

"Does your father know yet about the existence of Thomas?" she asked.

"No, not yet." Will's expression immediately became much more sober.

"Why not?"

Will sighed. "The right time just hasn't come up yet."

Soren watched him in silence. She knew that there was more to the story than that.

"It's a long story, Soren. When I was fifteen years old, my father had a nervous breakdown and had to be hospitalized for a while. Eventually he was released, but I never heard from him again for fifteen years. He accepted a job far from Alaska and I finished high school on my own and then went to Starfleet Academy. Then all of a sudden, fifteen years later, he reappeared out of the blue to brief me on a new assignment on the Enterprise. He wanted to act like we could just pick back up where we had left off fifteen years previously. I was very angry and hurt and didn't want anything to do with him."

"So what brought you back around?"

"I challenged him to an Anbo-jitsu competition. It's a form of martial arts which we had enjoyed together when I was younger. He beat me by using an illegal move. It was the first time I had caught him doing it. He had done it many times before, which was why he had always won."

"Didn't that make you angry?"

"Of course it did. But then he started talking about my mother and how much he had suffered when she died. It was the first time I had realized how difficult it must have been for him to raise a child by himself and hold down a very demanding job as well. Then he told me that he loved me. It was the first time I had ever remembered hearing him say it, and it meant so much to me to hear it."

"So your reconciliation happened while Thomas was still stranded on Nervala IV, so he knows nothing about it."

"Exactly." Will looked sad. "I tried to tell him that things had changed between me and Dad, but he wouldn't listen. All that anger and hurt I had carried for fifteen years, Thomas still carries."

"That is so sad."

Will nodded. "I'm so glad that he is with Deanna now. I know that she'll be good for him."

"I miss her," Soren said.

"Do you? Well, I imagine she misses you as well." Will smiled.

"Really? Do you think Deanna likes me?"

"Well, of course." Will chuckled. "Why shouldn't she?"

Soren pondered his question, not quite sure how to answer it.

"Well, I don't know about you, but I sure am hungry for some authentic Cajun cousine, and there's no better place to get it than right here in New Orleans," Will said.

"I can't wait to find out what that's like," Soren said with a smile, thankful for the turn the conversation had taken.

"Nothing at all like food on J'naii, I can assure you." Will laughed. He put the trombone away and they left the motel.

So far Soren thought that New Orleans was the most exciting place she had ever visited. She loved the street corner musicians, the quaint little voodoo shops, and the atmosphere of gaity.

Soon the two of them were sitting at a table in Jerry's Cajun Cafe, looking at the menu.

"I'm going to let you order for me, since I don't have any idea what I would like," Soren laughed.

"Well, you can't go wrong with crawfish etouffee," Will said with a smile.

"Louisiana is certainly very different from Alaska," Soren remarked later.

"They are as different as night and day," Will agreed.

"And yet they are both part of the same country," Soren said.

"Yes, and Honolulu, Hawaii is completely different from both of them," Will said. "And those are just within the United States. Imagine how different all the other countries are from one another."

"Earth is truly an amazing planet," Soren said.

"It certainly is," Will agreed. "And regardless of the countless wonders of the universe, of which I have seen many, I have never lost my wonder of the breathtaking beauty of my own home planet."

Their food arrived then, and Soren got her first taste of crawfish etouffee. She thought that it was delicious.

* * *

That night Will took her for a walk along Bourbon Street. "You haven't really been to New Orleans until you've seen it's most famous street," he told her.

They walked past many entertainment establishments, until they came to a jazz club called the Bourbon Street Bar. Surprised at its name, Will led Soren inside. The inside of the club looked eerily familiar to him. He glanced around, expecting to see Minuet. Guiltily, he looked at Soren and tried desperately to think about something else. He knew that Soren loved and trusted him and would feel very hurt if she knew that he was thinking of Minuet.

To his relief, there were no women in the bar who resembled Minuet, so he was able to concentrate on and enjoy the music. He wondered whether they would have let him join in if he had had his trombone with him.

The next day they went for a ride around the city and saw some of the historical landmarks.

"During the War of 1812, the British tried unsuccessfully to take back the city of New Orleans for themselves," Will told Soren. "They were defeated by Andrew Jackson."

"During the Civil War, the Union army captured the city of New Orleans without a battle in the city itself, which is why so many of these magnificent old buildings are still standing."

Soren was glad that the nineteenth century plantation homes had been spared. They were unlike any buildings she had ever seen on Earth or anywhere else. She did have questions about the Civil War, however.

"Why did one part of the country want to break free and form their own country?" she asked.

"One of the main issues was slavery," Will told her. "The federal government wanted to free the slaves and the individual state governments wanted their citizens to be able to own slaves."

Soren found it hard to believe that slavery had existed on Earth as recently as the nineteenth century. She had always believed Earth to be one of the more socially advanced planets in the universe, and said so to Will.

"It was basically a cultural issue. The wealthy landowners of the southern states depended on the export of crops such as cotton for their livelihood and so believed that slaves were necessary for the efficient running of their plantations," Will explained.

"But for one human to own another human seems so totally against everything the Earth's leadership seems to stand for," Soren said.

"You wouldn't believe how much things can change over a period of five hundred years," Will laughed.

Another thing about New Orleans that fascinated Soren were the above-ground burial vaults in the cemeteries.

"New Orleans is below sea level," Will explained. "In the days before cremation became mandatory, bodies were interred above ground. Otherwise floods would cause caskets to float right up out of the ground."

"How gruesome," Soren said. She knew that cremation had become mandatory for North America in the mid-twenty-second century because the continent had completely ran out of burial space in its cemeteries, and there was no land available to designate for additional cemeteries. Eventually there would be no room left for urns in mausoleums either.

* * *

After three weeks it was time for Will and Soren to report back to the Enterprise. Soren had enjoyed her wedding and honeymoon, but she was glad to see her friends again. The first week back was rather hectic, as it was spent primarily moving her belongings into Will's quarters, which were larger than her own.

"At last I can consider myself officially moved in," Soren said with a laugh the day she brought in the last of her possessions.

"You women and your stuff," Will teased her.

"At least now it looks like someone actually lives here," she retorted.

Will put his arms around her and hugged her. "Welcome to your new home, sweetheart." He kissed the top of her head.

"Just a few steps away from my old home," she laughed.

"Oh, but what a difference it will make to have you sleeping in my bed every night," Will murmured into her hair.

"Mmm." Her hand caressed the front of his shirt and trailed down to rest on the slight bulge at the front of his pants.

"Someone sure seems to be in a frisky mood," Will chuckled.

"We might as well start things off right," Soren said in her sexiest voice.

"My dear, I couldn't agree with you more," Will said, gently carrying her to the bed.


	10. Dearest Dreams

"There's only one thing that could possibly make me any happier right now," Will said to Soren. They were relaxing together in the living room after a long hard day on the Enterprise followed by a delicious dinner, a really hot lovemaking session, and a nice, leisurely soak in the hot tub. Will was leaning back in the recliner, and Soren was sitting in his lap with her lead resting on his shoulder.

"What's that?" she asked.

"I want us to have a child together, Soren. That's the thing I want most in the world."

"I want it just as badly as you do, Will. But we don't know whether it would be possible to combine human DNA with J'naii DNA. It's never been done before. And as you know, I have no organ for carrying a child to term."

"We have a couple of options there," Will replied. "We could hire a surrogate mother, or we could use an artificial womb."

"I like the idea of the artificial womb much better," Soren stated. "To me it sounds a lot more like the fibrous husks J'naii offspring are gestated in."

"I'm sorry, Soren, but I don't think I could ever get used to the idea of my child being gestated inside a fibrous husk," Will laughed. "I'll talk to Beverly tomorrow and see what she suggests."

* * *

The next day Soren had planned to meet Tasha Yar for lunch. She waited for about a half hour and was about to give up and order lunch alone when the other woman finally approached her, looking somewhat pale and shaky but also very happy.

"Are you all right, Tasha?" Soren asked with concern.

"I'm fine. Better than fine. I'm still having a hard time believing it though," Tasha replied.

"Believing what?" Soren was bewildered.

"I'm pregnant!" Tasha exclaimed.

"Really? Congratulations!" Soren smiled and sqeezed Tasha's arm.

"I just can't believe it happened so quickly!" Tasha continued.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, to be honest, we weren't sure it would happen at all," Tasha confided. "Data has testicular implants that allow him to function sexually, but we didn't know whether they were capable of producing healthy sperm or not. We'd thought that we might have to use a sperm donor. This is a wonderful surprise, Soren. I can't wait to tell Data."

"When did you find out?" Soren asked.

"Just this morning. I went to see Beverly because I'd been feeling queasy and tired all the time and thought I might be coming down with the flu. Beverly checked me and told me that my symptoms were due to the fact that I'm about two months pregnant. She did an ultrasound too." Tasha showed Soren her ultrasound picture. Soren saw the dark area that was the embryo's head and the equally-sized dark area that was its body, which gave the embryo a peanut-like shape.

"I'm so excited! I just can't wait to start decorating the nursery," Tasha exclaimed.

"Congratulations, Tasha," Soren replied. She thought that it was probably too soon to mention her own and Will's plans to Tasha. After all, it wasn't even known whether or not she and Will were capable of producing a viable embryo together.

* * *

That evening after work Soren told Will about Tasha's happy news.

"That's great! I'm happy for them," Will replied. "That may very well be good news for us too, Soren. If an android can impregnate a human, then it seems all the more likely that a human sperm could impregnate a J'naii reproductive cell, doesn't it?"

"It seems that way to me," Soren agreed. "Have you had the chance to talk to Beverly yet?"

"As a matter of fact, I did," Will replied. "She thinks that it's worth a try. Sickbay on the Enterprise has no artificial womb, but she thinks that Dr. Julian Bashir on Deep Space Nine might have one that he'd loan to us. She'll contact him and let us know what he says."

Soren walked over to Will, put her arms around him, and buried her face in his chest. "I so hope that the artificial womb will be available," she responded. "I want so badly to have a baby with you."

Will gave her a tight squeeze. "So do I."

* * *

The next day, Soren saw Data and Tasha busily looking over something on the table. "Hey Tasha," Soren called. "We need your help with something."

"Of course," Soren replied, walking toward them.

"We'd like to know which shade of green you like best." Soren saw that they had been looking at paint tiles. She studied them for a moment. "This one," she decided, indicating her favorite.

"Thank you, Soren," Data said with a smile.

"What are you going to paint?" Soren asked.

"The room we're going to use as the nursery." Tasha smiled.

Soren looked at Data. "How do you feel about becoming a father?" she asked him.

"I find the prospect both exhilarating and overwhelming," he responded.

"When I first told him, you could have knocked him over with a feather," Tasha added.

"I was truly astonished," Data agreed. "I had no idea I was so…virile."

"But now that he's had time to get used to the idea, he's simply thrilled, just like I am," Tasha offered.

"Yes," Data agreed.

* * *

A few days later Will told Soren,"Great news! Dr. Julian Bashir does have an artificial womb which he has offered to loan us. All we have to do is travel to Deep Space Nine and pick it up." His tone grew more serious as he continued, "While I was talking to Beverly, Tasha came in, looking very upset. I heard her tell Beverly that she'd started bleeding."


	11. Anticipation

To everyone's great relief, Tasha had not had a miscarriage, after all. Dr. Crusher diagnosed her with a hormonal imbalance and put her on bed rest for a week. Data, devoted husband that he was, took that week off from work to take care of her.

The day finally arrived that the Enterprise reached Dr. Bashir's laboratory on Deep Space Nine. Soren examined the artificial womb with wonder. If the in vitro fertilization was successful, this would be her baby's home for approximately nine months. The J'naii gestation period was assumed to be near that of the averae human gestation period, and Dr. Crusher would be able to tell exactly when the baby was ready to be born with her tricorder.

Back on the Enterprise, Will and Soren prepared themselves for the in vitro procedure itself. Retrieval of a reproductive cell from Soren's body would require a minor surgical procedure under a local anesthetic. Retrieval of a semen sample from Will was, of course, a much simpler matter.

"Nervous?" Dr. Crusher asked Soren as Soren lay back on the table in sickbay.

"A little bit," Soren admitted.

"This won't take long at all, and I'm sure you'll do fine." Dr. Crusher smiled and patted Soren's arm. "You're going to feel a big stick in your belly now, similar to a bee sting."

Will held Soren's hand and spoke soothingly to her during the procedure.

"All right, that part's over," Dr. Crusher said brightly. "Your turn, Daddy-o." She handed Will a specimen cup and he disappeared into an adjoining room.

Soren lay on the table in sickbay, relieved that the surgical part of the procedure was over. A few minutes later Will returned, specimen cup in hand, looking a little sheepish.

"What a lousy date," he quipped. "She wouldn't even kiss me good-bye."

He winked at Soren and she burst out laughing.

"Take it easy for the rest of the day," Dr. Crusher advised Soren. "You may experience some cramping; if so, that's perfectly normal. We'll know in about eighteen hours whether or not we have an embryo."

Will helped Soren off the table, she dressed, and they went back to their quarters.

"Would you like a little lie down?" Will asked gently, as soon as they were indoors.

"That sounds like a good idea." Soren suddenly did feel extremely tired. Whether from the procedure itself or the left-over stress leading up to it, she didn't know. She lay on the bed and Will sat beside her, rubbing her back.

"Mmm, that feels delicious," she murmured.

"Well, my dear, you are fortunate enough to be married to the man with the magic touch," Will chuckled.

Later, Will prepared dinner and served it to Soren in bed.

"You're really spoiling me today," Soren laughed. "Not that I'm complaining, of course."

"As a future potential mother, you'd better get all the spoiling you can while you still have the chance," he teased her.

"I can just imagine you with a little girl," Soren said dreamily. "She would have you wrapped around her little finger in no time."

"Oh, I"m sure," Will laughed. "But I'll just be so thrilled with whatever we get."

"Me too."

The much-anticipated call from Dr. Crusher came a couple of days later.

"Congratulations! The insemination was successful, and we have an embryo which appears to be perfectly healthy and is ready to be transferred to the artificial womb."

Will whooped with joy, gathered Soren in his arms, and twirled her around with glee. Soren laughed with joy, tears of relief in her eyes.

* * *

Soren watched with interest as Tasha's pregnancy progressed, her body subtly changing over time to make room for the new life growing inside her.

"I felt the baby move for the first time yesterday!" Tasha told her excitedly one day.

"What did it feel like?" Soren was curious.

"It felt like a tiny bird fluttering it's wings inside me," Tasha replied.

"That must be so special, to be able to carry your baby inside your own body," Soren said wistfully.

"Well, at least you don't have to worry about things like morning sickness," Tasha consoled her.

* * *

Dr. Crusher gave Will and Soren progress reports regularly on their own embryo. The artificial womb was transparent, but for the first several months the embryo was too small to be seen in any real detail.

The gestation period was about a third of the way along when Will and Soren were able to see their precious baby in detail for the first time. Soren could see its blood vessels through its translucent skin. Its eyes were squeezed shut, and she could see the tiniest dark hairs sparsely covering its head. Soren thought that she had never seen anything so perfect. Her heart was filled with an overwhelming love for this tiny being who was both a part of Will and a part of her.

"Well, hello there, little one." Will smiled and waved playfully. His attitude was light, but Soren suspected that deep down inside he was every bit as overwhelmed as she herself was.

* * *

By now Tasha's belly had grown so large that her walk had become ungainly. She had frequent heartburn and backaches, and her legs and feet became slightly swollen. The baby inside her was so large that it's movements could now be seen through Tasha's clothing.

"Do you know its gender yet?" Soren asked her.

"Data and I have decided that we want to wait and be surprised at the delivery," Tasha answered. "What about you and Will?"

"I haven't actually discussed it with him yet, but I think that it would be a lovely idea to wait and be surprised, and I suspect that Will feels the same way."

One evening Will and Soren were visiting Data and Tasha in their quarters when Tasha gripped her abdomen and winced in pain.

"Are you again experiencing those false labor pains you have been experiencing frequently?" Data asked.

"I think it's the real thing this time," Tasha told him. Suddenly she dashed for the restroom, leaving a wet trail behind her. "Now I _know_ it's the real thing," she shouted back to him.


	12. Babies On The Enterprise Part One

Will and Soren sat in the waiting area of sickbay, waiting for news of Tasha. Dr. Crusher had taken her right back and started an IV on her. Data had come to the door and told them that Dr. Crusher had said that the baby would definitely be born some time that night or in the early morning. She said that since it was Tasha's first baby, labor might last longer than average.

Soren thought of her own baby in its artificial womb in another area of sickbay. She knew that it would be several more months before the baby was ready to be born.

"If Data were capable of emotional expression, I don't think he would be any more nervous than you two," Dr. Crusher chuckled.

"We've both been right beside Tasha and Data every step of the way with this pregnancy," Will told her. "We feel almost as if we're family."

"It's wonderful that they have such good friends." Dr. Crusher smiled at them. "And before you know it it'll be your turn."

"Ah, parenthood. The most daunting challenge I have ever faced." Will grinned.

"And it will be the most rewarding one," Dr. Crusher assured him.

"How is Wesley?" Soren asked.

"He's fine. Still at Starfleet Academy."

Data stuck his head in the doorway. "Dr. Crusher, Tasha requires more pain medication."

"You may come in if you want, and if Tasha doesn't mind," Dr. Crusher told Will and Soren. "There's no point in your just hanging around out here at this early stage." She went to tend to Tasha, and Will and Soren followed.

"Mind some company?" she asked Tasha, when they were in the room.

Tasha shook her head. She was lying in bed hooked up to an IV, looking very uncomfortable.

"I wish epidurals were still available," she grumbled. Epidurals had been banned at the end of the twenty-first century when it had been proven that they caused nerve damage in the spine later in life.

"You'll do fine," Dr. Crusher assured her, patting her arm.

All of them looked at the machine which kept track of Tasha's heart rate and the baby's heart rate. A short while later Will and Soren had to leave the room because Dr. Crusher had to examine Tasha again. She let them back in right afterwards.

"She's dilated to six centimeters now, making good progress," she told them.

"If I make it out of this alive, I swear I'm gonna fix you where you can't do this to me again," Tasha told Data. Will and Soren laughed, but Data looked alarmed.

"She was only joking," Will told him.

"Like hell I am," Tasha muttered.

After a while Tasha groaned. "I feel like I have to push!"

"This time Dr. Crusher didn't have time to make Will and Soren leave before she checked Tasha. "Not yet, hon, you're still only dilated to nine," she told Tasha. "Concentrate on your breathing."

Tasha grimaced. "I can't stand this anymore!" She cursed loudly. Will's ears turned bright red, and Data patted Tasha's hand in an effort to calm her. She pushed his hand away angrily.

A few minutes later Dr. Crusher examined Tasha again. This time she put Tasha's feet up in stirrups. She seemed to have completely forgotten that Will and Soren were still in the room.

"Okay, hon, you can feel free to push the next time you get the urge," she told Tasha calmly. Tasha looked grateful.

Suddenly Dr. Crusher looked alarmed. "The baby's heart rate is dropping. We need to get that baby out of there as soon as possible." Tasha looked absolutely terrified, and Data looked as solemn as Soren had ever seen him.

Soren saw Dr. Crusher cut Tasha with some kind of surgical instrument. Then she knelt between Tasha's legs and coached her.

"Push, Tasha! Push with all your might!"

Tasha's eyes were squeezed shut with the effort. Data, Will, and Soren watched, mesmerized.

Presently the baby's head appeared, and Dr. Crusher saw that the umbilical cord was wrapped around its neck. She deftly lifted it up and over the baby's head, and its heart rate returned to normal.

"One more big push. Come on, Tasha, you can do it," Dr. Crusher encouraged her.

Tasha bore down once again, and the rest of the baby's body slid out smoothly.

Dr. Crusher handed Data a pair of scissors. "You can do the honors, Daddy."

Data calmly cut the umbilical cord, and the newborn wailed mightily.

"Is the baby all right, Data?" Tasha asked.

"Our son is fine, Tasha. You may see him as soon as he is clean." He was busy wiping the blood from the baby's body with a warm washcloth. As he did so he spoke gently to his new son.

"There, little one. You must look nice when you meet your mother for the first time."

Data wrapped the baby in a blanket and gently placed him in Tasha' arms. Tasha smiled tiredly as she cuddled her new son.

Will and Soren stood smiling, their arms around each other, watching the new family.

"Have you decided on a name yet?" Soren asked.

"His name is Alexander Nicholas Yar, but we're going to call him Alex," Tasha replied.

Alex seemed oblivious to everything except his mother's breast. He found what he was looking for and began sucking mightily. Everyone laughed except Data, who watched with intense fascination, a gentle smile on his face.


	13. Babies On The Enterprise Part Two

Despite being the result of a cross between a human and an android, Alex appeared to be a perfectly normal baby boy. Dr. Crusher gave him a thorough examination right after his birth, and found that all his anatomical and physiological measurements were well within the normal range for a human male newborn. He was twenty inches long at birth, and he weighed a healthy eight pounds, two ounces. He had Tasha's blue eyes, but there were flecks of amber in his irises, giving his eyes an exotic, but not at all unattractive, appearance. He seemed to have the normal human requirements for nourishment and sleep. Dr. Crusher concluded that his human DNA seemed to be primarily dominant over his nonhuman DNA, although there were definite traces of Data in his facial features, and of course it was entirely possible that he might develop more android-like features as he got older. Dr. Crusher also planned to perform intensive psychological testing on him at a later point.

Data and Tasha proved to be devoted parents. The fact that Data didn't require sleep turned out to be invaluable to Tasha, who was recovering from an episiotomy as well as adjusting to breastfeeding. Will prepared dinner for the family several times, and Soren offered to help in any way she could.

Soren loved to hold baby Alex and feel his warm, soft body against hers. She loved the way his tiny face assumed various adorable grimaces, and marveled at the intricate perfection of his tiny fingers and toes. She also loved the soft mewing noise he made when he cried.

Alex seemed to want to breastfeed almost nonstop, and he went through an amazing number of diapers for the first few weeks. Dr. Crusher checked his weight on a regular basis. He lost a few ounces initially, but quickly made up for it, and he grew quickly after that.

Soon he began making the sweetest cooing sounds, and he had a smile that lit up his whole face. He was also able to wave his rattle around. Soren loved to hold him and talk gently to him and watch his responses.

* * *

The day finally came that Dr. Crusher determined that Will and Soren's child was ready to be born, and they followed her into the room where the artificial womb was kept.

"Please have a seat. I will begin the procedure shortly," Dr. Crusher told them.

Will and Soren did as they were told, Will making small talk to try to take his mind off how nervous he really was. Soren sat smiling calmly, but inside she felt anxious as well. Would her baby be completely normal? Were there any detrimental effects of mixing human and J'naii DNA? Dr. Crusher had assured them both that the baby was completely normal, but Soren still felt apprehensive. Were tricorder readings 100 percent accurate?

The procedure was very similar to a C-section delivery, except that of course the services of an anesthesiologist were not needed. Dr. Crusher carefully opened the artificial womb, gently lifted the baby out, and laid it on a table. She cut the baby's umbilical cord, and the baby began moving its arms and legs and crying.

"Congratulations, Will and Soren. You have a beautiful baby girl."

They both breathed a huge sigh of relief, and Will grinned as only he could grin. "We did it!" He enveloped Soren in a tight hug, lifting her slightly off her feet as he did so.

"Can I hold her now?" Soren asked.

"Just as soon as I get her weight, measurement, and Apgar score," Dr. Crusher replied cheerfully. She cleaned and dried the baby and transferred her to a scale.

"She's twenty-one inches long, which is no surprise, considering how tall both her parents are." All three of them chuckled. "And she weighs...let's see...seven pounds and two ounces. A perfect size for such a perfectly adorable little girl." Dr. Crusher talked baby talk to the newborn, who seemed to be paying rapt attention, although she wasn't able to completely focus her eyes yet.

As soon as she was finished with her initial examination, Dr. Crusher wrapped the baby in a blanket and handed her to Soren. Soren saw that she had slight, but unmistakable, J'naii markings on her forehead.

"She looks just like you, honey," Will exulted.

"I love that cute little dimple in her chin," Soren remarked.

"I have a dimple just like it in my chin," Will told her. "Only you can't see it anymore because of my beard."

"I'm just so relieved that she has a definite gender. I was really worried about that," Soren said.

"There are internal examinations that can be done when she's older," Dr. Crusher told them." But her external anatomy is perfectly normal for a female. It seems that the X chromosome which Will inherited from his mother is dominant. Likewise, if you ever have a son together, the Y chromosome which Will inherited from his father should insure a normal male anatomy."

Soren thought of Betty Riker in her crypt in the mausoleum in Alaska and said a silent 'thank you' to the long-dead woman who would never know her granddaughter.

"Have you chosen a name yet?" Dr. Crusher asked them.

"I think it would be nice to name her 'Kyla' after your father," Soren told Will.

"That's fine by me," Will said, "as long as her middle name is 'Soren'".

Soren smiled and blushed. "Thank you for that, Will," she said.

Dr. Crusher kept baby Kyla in sickbay overnight for observation, but she let Will and Soren take her back to their quarters the next day.

Over the next several days, various members of the Enterprise crew, and even Captain Picard himself, visited them.

"You're a real pioneer family," Picard remarked, gazing at baby Kyla in her crib.

"What do you mean?" Will asked.

"You have produced the first ever cross between a human and a J'naii, proving that J'naii are indeed reproductively compatible with other species. After all, if there can be a cross between a human and a J'naii, why not between a Vulcan and a J'naii? Or a Betazoid and a J'naii?"

"I can just imagine Noor and Krite's reaction to what you just said," Soren told him.

Picard looked at her with compassion. "One of my greatest hopes is that some day the others of your species will be willing to accept and embrace those of you who are different like yourself, rather than viewing them with pity or revulsion. When that day comes, perhaps they will be willing to reach out to members of other species as well, considering everyone equals."

"Amen to that," Will agreed. Baby Kyla, who had been sleeping soundly, began to squirm fitfully.

"And in just a minute someone's going to be waking up and demanding to be fed," he laughed.


	14. Reconciliation

"My, she is a beauty, just like her mother." Kyle Riker tenderly gathered his granddaughter into his arms as Will smiled and embraced Soren, who smiled and blushed. The three of them were spending Christmas in Alaska with Will's father. Thomas and Deanna were expected to join them as well. It would be the first time Thomas had seen his father since he was fifteen years old.

Once Kyle had gotten over the initial shock of learning of Thomas' existence, he had been eager to meet his second son. Thomas, with much persuasion from Deanna, had reluctantly agreed to visit Kyle. Kyle was overjoyed but anxious for the reunion to go smoothly.

Kyla cooed and waved her arms, and Kyle talked baby talk to her. "How Betty would have loved her," he said wistfully. "I can just see all the adorable little coats and hats and booties she would have knitted and crocheted."

"Oh, she's already received plenty of those from her Auntie Deanna," Will chuckled.

"Not to mention all the presents from her friends aboard the Enterprise," Soren added.

Alex and Kyla were the little darlings of their parents' co-workers. Even Captain Picard, who disliked being around children in general, had developed a soft spot for the two babies.

The three of them engaged in small talk until Thomas and Deanna arrived. Deanna was smiling happily, but Thomas looked glum and sulky.

Kyle smiled and extended his hand. "It's so good to meet you and your beautiful wife, son." Thomas gave an almost imperceptible nod as he shook his father's hand, and Deanna gave Kyle a warm hug.

"My, how big you've grown." Deanna gathered Kyla into her arms. The baby laughed and gurgled, reaching for Deanna's face.

"Would you like to hold your niece?" She handed the baby to Thomas, who reluctantly took her into his arms. Kyla immediately began wailing, and Thomas, with a look of relief, immediately handed her back to Soren.

Although Deanna tried her best to maintain a cheerful atmosphere, the tension between Kyle and Thomas was so thick that it could have been cut with a knife. Kyle attempted to engage his son in conversation several times, but each time Thomas cut him off with an abrupt answer.

Deanna caught Soren's eye. "Perhaps this wasn't such a good idea after all," she whispered.

Soren looked at her helplessly. She didn't have a clue how to help the situation. She felt so sad for Will, as she knew how important this holiday tradition was for humans.

After the midday meal, Kyle announced that he had a special DVD that he wanted to show the others.

"It's a DVD of you and your mother on your first Christmas, when you were barely four months old," Kyle said to Will and Thomas.

"I've never seen a picture of you as a baby," Soren remarked.

"Neither have I," Deanna echoed.

Kyle turned the TV on and inserted the DVD.

"Aww," Soren and Deanna cooed at the sight of chubby four-month-old William Thomas Riker. Will grinned, embarrassed.

"He looks exactly like Kyla looks now," Soren remarked.

"Identical," Deanna agreed.

Betty Riker had been beautiful. The physical resemblance to her sons was striking. She had the same dark hair, the same blue eyes, and even the same chin cleft. When she smiled, Soren could clearly see Will's smile. She wished with all her might that she and Kyla could somehow meet Betty in person.

When the DVD finished, Will looked very pensive, and Thomas and Kyle both had tears in their eyes. Kyle rose and went to embrace Thomas, who at first seemed to resist his father's touch, but finally allowed his father to hug him and returned the embrace. Will, Deanna, and Soren beamed.

"What was she like, Dad? I wish I could remember, but I was just too little." The sadness in Thomas' voice tore at Soren's heart.

"She was cheerful, droll, and had a dry wit. She loved music, especially jazz. She always wore a smile, no matter how badly she might be hurting on the inside. She could be silly and flighty at times, and you didn't want to be near her when she was angry. And she loved you more than life, Thomas. I remember how happy she was the day you were born. It was a long, difficult labor, and she lost a lot of blood. The nurse wrapped you in a blanket and handed you to her, and she just beamed. She counted all your little fingers and toes and then she kissed them. I think I loved her more that day than I ever had before."

Thomas and Will both looked very somber. "What about the day she died?" Thomas asked.

Kyle wiped his eyes. "I came home from work and found her lying on the sofa. She told me that she was in tremendous pain and needed to go to the hospital. I left you with the neighbor and drove her there as quickly as I could. They put her in the ICU immediately and hooked her up to an IV. 'Kyle,' she said to me, 'no matter what happens to me, I want you to promise me to raise Will in Alaska. I want him to go skiing in the winter and fishing and kayaking in the summer just like we always have.' 'Of course I will,' I said, 'but you're going to be fine.' But even as I said it I knew that both of us knew better. She slipped into a coma just a couple of hours later, and she was gone before the day was over." Kyle stopped to wipe his eyes again and compose himself.

"But she left me with the most precious legacy. You boys." he looked from Thomas to Will.

"I'm so sorry, Dad," Thomas said. "That must have been so hard for you to have to watch her die like that." He seemed to have forgotten the animosity he felt toward Kyle.

"It was the most difficult experience I've ever lived through," Kyle agreed.

Kyla had awakened and was cooing and gurgling. Soren smiled at her and played with her. "The wheels on the bus go round and round..." she sang.

"What was Mom's favorite Christmas carol?" Thomas asked.

"'O Holy Night'," Kyle replied.

"Why don't we all sing it together," Will suggested. Kyle found a copy of the printed lyrics for Soren, who wasn't familiar with the song. Deanna had learned it as a young child from her human father.

"Thank you so much for coming, and for sharing your precious little one with me," Kyle said to Will and Soren later, when it was time for them to leave.

"Thank you so much for having us over," Soren said warmly.

"Thank you also for coming," Kyle said to Thomas and Deanna.

"I'm glad now that I came," Thomas replied. "It was really good to see you again, Dad."

"It was wonderful to see all of you. I only wish that the day had lasted longer," Kyle told him.

"There will be other days like this one, many, I hope," Will said. Soren and Deanna agreed, and Kyla laughed and waved her arms and legs.

Soren was so happy to see the entire family finally reunited. Her sadness at all she had left behind on J'naii so long ago had been more than compensated for by the love of her new family and friends.


End file.
